Socket wrench with captive handle



Dec. 15, 1964 HQAG SOCKET WRENCH WITH CAPTIVEI HANDLE Filed Aug. 3, 1962 INVENTOR 666561 7 L. #046 BY United States Patent enemas SGKIKE'I WRENCH WITH IIAPTIVE HANDLE Gilbert L Hoag, 5818 lZatona NE, Seattle, Wash. Filed Aug. 3, 1962, Ser. No. 214,552 Qlainzs. (Cl. 81-177) Socket wrenches are commonly made of T-shape, with a handle or turning bar directed transversely across one end and having a socket at the other end to fit and rotate a nut, spark plug or the like. A socket Wrench of this T-shape, if the bar is fixed in place, is not easily stowed in small compass, and yet if the bar is dismountable the same may be misplaced, and so is not available for a subsequent use.

It is essential that the handle or turning bar by which the engaged nut is rotated be permanently attached to the socketed sleeve which engages the nut or the like, so

ithat the handle cannot be misplaced, yet it must be so mounted that it is movable readily from a stowed position, wherein it extends lengthwise of (and preferably within) the socketed sleeve, and the wrench is of minimum size, to its operative position, wherein the handle extends transversely to the sleeve. It is an object of this invention to provide a structure wherein the bar is capable of such movement readily from the one position to the other, while insuring that the bar is incapable of separation from the sleeve.

It is also an object to provide a socket wrench of the character described which shall be of simple and inexpensive construction.

These and other objects will be more fully apparent as this specification progresses.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in a presently preferred form, but it will be understood that various changes may be made in the form and relationship of the parts, within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

FIGURE 1 is an isometric View of the wrench with parts in their stowed position.

FIGURE 2 is an axial sectional View through the wrench showing parts in the operative position.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view at the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, but showing the dilferent positions of the turning bar with relation to the sleeve.

Basically, the wrench includes a sleeve it formed at one end, as indicated at ll of a shape to fit upon and to rotate a nut, spark plug, or the like, all of which engaged elements will be referred to hereinafter as a nut. Adjacent its opposite end the sleeve is slotted at 11, the slot extending generally lengthwise of the sleeve. A turning bar 2 extends through the slot and, in the operative position, extends also through a hole 12 which is formed in the wall of the sleeve 1 opposite the slot 11. The slot 11 is of a width only slightly larger than the diameter of the turning bar 2, whereas the hole 12 is somewhat larger in diameter.

The turning bar 2 is desirably so formed that a shorter end Zil is angularly disposed with relation to the remainderor principal part of its length. At at least one end of the turning bar 2 a head His formed, as by upsetting the bar, this head being of a size large enough that it cannot pass through the slot 11, but small enough that it can pass through the larger hole 12. The purpose of this head 21 is to enable the turning bar 2 to be projected transversely of the sleeve 1 into the operative position shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, but by reason of the fact that the head 21 is larger than the width of the slot 11 the head cannot be withdrawn through the slot. The opposite end of the turning bar is formed in a mannet to prevent its being disengaged from the sleeve by moving the turning bar in the opposite direction of its own length. This might be done by making the angled extension 24. of sutlicient length that the turning bar, when in the position shown in full lines in FIGURE 4, cannot be withdrawn through the slot 11, because the portion 2 would engage the interior wall of the sleeve, but it is convenient to upset a second head 22 upon the end portion 26 of the turning bar, which serves the same purpose.

In the operative position, that shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the turning bar 2 has its head 21 extended through the hole 12 so that the turning bar as a whole extends transversely of the sleeve and by engagement with the edges of hole 12 and slot 11 serves to effect rotation of the sleeve. When the wrench is to be stowed, the head 21 is withdrawn through the hole 12 into the interior of the sleeve 1, but as the dash-line position of FIGURE 4 shows, the turning bar cannot be withdrawn through the slot 11, yet the turning bar can be rotated into the dot-dash line position of FIGURE 4 and then can be moved lengthwise of the sleeve into the full-line stowed position. This is one simple way of effecting the desired movement, but the same may be effected in other ways. When the wrench is to be used, it is only necessary 'to reverse the movement of the turning bar with relation to the sleeve to place parts in the FIGURE 2 position and then, upon engagement of the socket at It) with the nut or the like, the nut can be rotated by applying force to the ends of the turning bar 2.

I claim as my invention:

1. A socket wrench of the character described comprising a sleeve formed at one end to fit and to rotate a nut or the like when entered therein, said sleeve having a slot extending in the axial direction at its opposite end, and also having a hole of a diameter exceeding the width of said slot, disposed opposite the slot, a turning bar extending through said slot, one end of said bar being disposed angularly relative to the greater portion of its length, heads at the bars opposite ends, of a size to prevent their passage through the slot, but to permit passage of that head which is at the end of the greater portion of the bars length through the hole, whereby the bar is retained captively assembled with the sleeve, and is disposable either in an operative position wherein it extends transversely of the sleeve and through the slot and the hole, or in an inoperative position wherein the end that constitutes the greater portion of the bars length is withdrawn from the hole and is directed longitudinally within the sleeve.

2. A socket wrench as in claim 1 wherein the angularly disposed end of the bar lies at right angles to the remainder.

3. A socket wrench comprising a sleeve having a socket formation at one end, and a captive L-shaped turning bar having an elongated lever portion and a relatively short end portion transverse to said lever portion, said sleeve having a longitudinally extending slot through the wall thereof remote from said socket portion and of a width slightly exceeding the thickness of said bar, and of a length permitting endwise insertion of the lever portion and of its juncture with the end portion within the interior of the body for storage therein, said bar extending through said slot, said sleeve further having a wall aperture therein located opposite said slot to pass said lever portion into a portion directed transversely of the sleeve, said elongated lever portion having an enlargement on the free end thereof preventing its withdrawal through the slot but not from said aperture.

4. The socket wrench defined in claim 3, wherein the shorter end portion of the bar also has an enlargement 3 v on the free end thereof preventing its withdrawal through the slot.

5. A socket wrench of the character described comprising a sleeve formed at one end to fit and to rotate a nut or the like which is entered therein, said sleeve at its opposite end having a slot in one wall which is closed at both its ends, and which extends generally in the direction axially of the sleeve, said sleeve having a hole in its wall opposite said slot which is of a diameter exceeding the width of the slot, a turning bar having a long end and an opposite short end relatively angularly disposed, and heads at the bars opposite ends of a size to pass through said hole but not through the slot, whereby the bar is retained captively assembled with the sleeve, the bar and sleeve being so assembled relatively that in the operative position, the long end of the bar extends first through the slot and then through the hole, and its short end can be directed alongside of and outside of 4 the sleeve, and the slot being of such length that as the head at the long end of the bar is withdrawn from its hole that long end can be rotated to a position lengthwise of and within the sleeve, leaving the short end protruding from the slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 980,632 Hartvigsen Jan. 3, 1911 1,199,747 Ayer Sept. '26, 1916 1,265,341 Keller May 7, 1918 1,594,081 Van Duzer July 27, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS 926,059 France Apr. 14, 1947 1,025,293 France Jan. 21, 1953 1,045,938 France July 1, 1953 

1. A SOCKET WRENCH OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING A SLEEVE FORMED AT ONE END TO FIT AND TO ROTATE A NUT OR THE LIKE WHEN ENTERED THEREIN, SAID SLEEVE HAVING A SLOT EXTENDING IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION AT ITS OPPOSITE END, AND ALSO HAVING A HOLE OF A DIAMETER EXCEEDING THE WIDTH OF SAID SLOT, DISPOSED OPPOSITE THE SLOT, A TURNING BAR EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT, ONE END OF SAID BAR BEING DISPOSED ANGULARLY RELATIVE TO THE GREATER PORTION OF ITS LENGTH, HEADS AT THE BAR''S OPPOSITE ENDS, OF A SIZE TO PREVENT THEIR PASSAGE THROUGH THE SLOT, BUT TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF THAT HEAD WHICH IS AT THE END OF THE GREATER PORTION OF THE BAR''S LENGTH THROUGH THE HOLE, WHEREBY THE BAR IS RETAINED CAPTIVELY ASSEMBLED WITH THE SLEEVE, AND IS DISPOSABLE EITHER IN AN OPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN IT EXTENDS TRANSVERSELY OF THE SLEEVE AND THROUGH THE SLOT AND THE HOLE, OR IN AN INOPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN THE END THAT CONSTITUTES THE GREATER PORTION OF THE BAR''S LENGTH IS WITHDRAWN FROM THE HOLE AND IS DIRECTED LONGITUDINALLY WITHIN THE SLEEVE. 